In Sickness and In Health
by pearblossoms
Summary: Tina's absence from the choir room deserves a bit of an explanation...


"Well that was..." Tina's quivering lip is not the only tell-tale sign that she's on the verge of bursting out in laughter, and Mike's eternally grateful that they're the last ones to leave the fiasco of a "showdown" that just took place with the Warblers, because the last thing he wants is for the rest of New Directions to see the two of them doubling over in laughter over what was supposed to be a serious encounter.

"...Interesting," Mike finishes for her with a wicked grin.

Tina giggles, "I think we should just come to terms with the fact that we're the furthest things from badass in Lima- no, in all of _Ohio_."

"Agreed."

"Poor Blaine, though! Do you think he'll be okay?" Tina frowns as they make their way into Mike's car. She slides into the passenger seat and he guns the ignition.

Mike's face instantly becomes somber at the thought, "He should be fine. Kurt's bringing him to the hospital- I'm sure he'll be all right."

"I can't believe Sebastian would so something like that," she huffs in annoyance, "It's one thing to be slushied by a bunch of jocks at our school- it's an entirely separate issue when it's a Glee Club competitor from Dalton."

"I thought the Warblers were better than that. They always seemed so nice."

"Maybe it's because we're only used to Kurt and Blaine," she points out wisely, "Maybe they're the outliers. In fact- _achoo!_" Tina sneezes into the crook of her arm, unable to finish her sentence.

"You okay, T? You've been looking kind of miserable these past few days," Mike asks, concerned.

"I think I may have caught whatever's been going around the school," she sniffles. The heavy circles under her eyes are more prominent than ever.

"Aww baby," he reaches one hand over to clasp hers while fiddling with the steering wheel with the other, "Maybe you should take the day off tomorrow? Get some rest?"

Tina looks at him in horror, "We're doing _Black or White_ tomorrow! There's no way in hell I'm missing that."

"I'm still pissed that Mr. Schue didn't give you one of the leads for that number tomorrow," Mike grumbles. If anybody deserves it, it's Tina, especially after the way she kicked ass at Sectionals with _ABC_. But she's too nice to bitch about it, even though they both know she wishes more than anything to be able to share her voice more with the group.

"It's okay Mike," she says softly, "I just want to be able to pay tribute to Michael, you know? I love this week's assignment."

Usually, Mike is comfortable with making the general assertion that he couldn't possibly fall more in love with Tina Cohen-Chang. After all, it _has_ been well over a year and they've grown to know each other so well that surprises don't come by too often with the two of them. But every once in a while, she'll completely blow his mind with another precious reason to love her more than life itself. And that's one of the _best_ things about her.

* * *

><p>"Mike..."<p>

"Oh my god Tina."

It's six thirteen in the morning and Mike's voice is still croaking with morning fatigue but when his phone had vibrated violently next to his bed with Tina's name flashing on the screen, he had picked up instantly.

Her voice is almost completely gone. It's flat and hoarse and it sounds like she's wheezing her last words on her- god forbid- deathbed.

"_Tina_."

"I... I don't think I can go-"

"Shh baby," he sits up, clutching the blankets to his chest, "Don't make it worse. Have your mom call you in sick for today, okay? You need rest. And- and fluids. And _god__, _antibiotics or something. Actually, you know what? Go back to sleep, okay? I'll... I'll text your mom that you're not feeling well so she won't wake you up for school. _Just get some rest._"

"But Mike... Michael..."

"I know, T. I know."

And maybe it's weird that he has Mrs. Cohen-Chang's cell phone number programmed into his phone but honestly he could care less right now as he hangs up with a quick "I love you!" to Tina.

Mike: hey mrs. c-c, tina's feeling really sick. could you let her sleep in and excuse her from class? i think she needs rest.

* * *

><p>The first thing Mike does after school is book it to Tina's place, nearly forgetting his backpack and textbooks in his locker in the process. But when he finally gets to her front door, it takes forever for someone to answer the door.<p>

The front door slowly creaks open, revealing Tina standing there in a fluffy robe and matching slippers, her hair piled up in a messy bun at the top of her head. Her nose is pink and her eyes are sunken from fatigue.

"_Baby_," he sighs, unable to get over how _sick_ she looks, instantly going in to envelop her in his arms. "I missed you at school today."

"Don't- you're going to-" she protests weakly.

"I don't care if I catch it," he responds flatly, "Hell, if I catch it, the two of us can watch Gene Kelly movies in our pajamas together and not go to school. So by all means, send your germs my way," he grins. "I brought you the homework you missed, by the way," he adds, handing over a small stack of papers.

Tina sighs, "Thanks. How was Michael?"

"Well..."

She chuckles faintly, coughing futilely into his chest, "I can't believe I missed it."

"I know, T, and I'm so sorry. If it makes you feel any better, it wasn't even that good. Not without you in it."

She shakes her head, doing a poor job of masking a little smile, "And here I was sitting in bed watching cooking shows and coughing out my own lungs."

"Poor baby," he sighs sympathetically, "But maybe you and I could sing it together instead when you get better," he suggests, leading her back up to her bedroom.

"I'd like that. And you don't need to help me up the stairs, Mike, I'm not handicapped for crying out loud."

"Okay okay, but seriously, don't strain your voice."

When they get back into her room, she burrows her way back into her blankets, and he follows suit, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. They're quiet for a moment, just sitting there listening to each other breathe as Mike strokes her hair gently, feeling the feverish heat emanate from her body.

It surprises him when she finally croaks out a sentence that makes his heart absolutely _shatter_.

"Actually losing my voice makes me think about all the times I've lost my voice in Glee Club."

And can he feel his entire body aching in pain for her? Yes. Does he want to march right back to Mr. Schuester's office and tell him off for underusing one of the best singers in New Directions? Yes. But above all, does he want to wrap his arms tightly around his girl and soak in every horrible feeling swimming hauntingly in her head at the moment? _Hell yes_.

And so that's what he does, and he's actually a little worried that he might be squeezing her too tightly but all he wants is to suck out all the misery, bottle it up, and toss it into the ocean. Or maybe Lake Eerie. Seeing as how the nearest ocean is hundreds of miles away.

"You don't deserve that, Tina. You don't deserve any of it," Mike whispers into her ear, pressing his forehead against her temple. Her head is burning up and he can hear her sniffling, except this time he has a feeling it's not only because of her sinuses.

"It's not really about what I deserve," she manages softly, "It's more like what's best for the Glee Club."

"Or what Mr. Schue _thinks_ is best for the Glee Club," he corrects fiercely, "You know just as well as I do that you _are_ what's best for it."

"Biased opinion."

"Objective truth," he counters, kissing the top of her head. "Oh guess what? Some Spanish teacher is coming to our rehearsal tomorrow. I guess he's a friend of Mr. Schue's or something."

"Spanish teacher? I didn't know Mr. Schue had any Spanish teaching friends," Tina muses, "Wonder what he's gonna be there for."

"You got me," Mike shrugs.

* * *

><p>Mike likes David Martinez. He's been in Spanish at McKinley for four years now and even though he likes Mr. Schue and all, he's learned absolutely nothing from his Spanish class except that Taco Tuesdays always meant a horrendous performance of <em>La Cucaracha<em> that made him wince every time.

But this whole Spanish assignment is kind of throwing him off. Everything from the crazy shoes to the absolutely _ridiculous_ dancing he had to do for Mr. Schue's performance and he's glad when it's finally over because it's wearing him out.

Or maybe it's something else...

Because with all the time he's spent with Tina and what turned out to be strep throat, he wouldn't be all that surprised if he had ended up with it as well.

That's why, when he wakes up the next morning feeling like he just got trampled by a stampede of wildebeests, he feels like maybe it's his turn to call in sick as well.

* * *

><p>"<em>Mike<em>? What the hell are you doing?"

He's outside Tina's house again, which he might as well start calling his second home with the amount of time he spends there, and his presence shouldn't really surprise her all that much except for the fact that he's sick now too and technically supposed to be on house arrest in an attempt to get better (as per his mother's orders) not to mention he's still in his pajamas- a ratty white t-shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants.

"I think I made a certain suggestion a while back that we have to fulfill," he rasps, his voice a total wreck, "And so here I am."

"You're crazy," she wheezes, letting him in.

"Yeah. Crazy about _Gene Kelly_! I brought _An American in Paris, Singin' in the Rain, _and _On the Town_. Along with an entire box of Chinese green tea leaves and enough tissues to wallpaper your bedroom," Mike barely manages to get the words out, his voice nothing more than a whisper by the end of his sentence.

"Shhh stop talking," Tina giggles, her voice much clearer than his own, "Let's go to my room and watch them then."

"Excellent," Mike grins, following her up the stairs and coughing into his arm, "We'll be like two horribly sick peas in a pod."

"You are so silly," she shakes her head, popping _On the Town_ into the DVD player hooked up to the TV in her bedroom, "How was yesterday with the Spanish teacher?"

"Good. Fun. Weird. We did _Sexy and I Know It_."

"Bet you tore that number up with your dancing," she comments idly, "Wish I could have seen it. Mom says I can go back to school in two days, though."

"That's great, T. Just in time for the week of Valentine's Day."

"If you get me roses just like all the rest of the boys in our high school I'm going to have to shoot you."

Mike scoffs, "Don't you know me at all?"

She grins, "Touché."

As the movie begins to play and they nestle into Tina's bed together, Mike snakes his arm around her waist, allowing their heads to settle onto the headboard. The familiar music fills the room and the two of them sink into each other's comfortable- albeit, sick- bodies.


End file.
